Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1887-05-08
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
N NIUE Team Tragedy in the
Fine Nut Mountains.

employed at Benton 5 stables. who
is lame from having his leg broken
This man some years ago had q
remarkable experience in the Pine
Nut Country, about twenty miles
from Carson. He was employed as
| a teamster and was freighting with
a team of sixteen mules.
About 4 o. clock one afternoon be
was going down steep hill, when
the break slipped. and the loaded
wagon with a back action attach
ment acquired terrible moment
UNI. When Osborn realized that
the break had given away and that
the speed of the wagon was increas-
ing, he knew with a teamster's in
stinct that it was a critical moment.
He was riding on the back of one
of the wheelers at the time and as
the wagons came laundering on
with speed which increased every
moment, the mules knowing what
the noise behind them meant, broke
into gallop down the grade. He
saw that the grade was a steep one
and he was also on a side hill, he
being on the off wheeler and the
hill rising abruptly to his right.
Had he been on the left wheeler he
could have left the saddle at any
time and rolled down the hill side.
As it was a leap to the hill
placed him in danger of being
thrown back under the wheels.
As the wagons went jumping
and laundering down the grade, the
mule he was riding went down, but
the others dragged it along and it
struggled franticly to Its feet.
Again it went down and again it re-
covered, but this time Osborn fear
ing any longer to trust his seat,
leaped to the bank and grasped a
bush close at hand,
1t came up by the roots, and run
n1ng along the bank parallel with
the wagons, he grasped bushes
vines, grass, anything to stay his
fall back into the road. just ahead
was stout bush which he knew
would hold, but his hand fell short,
the last clump of weeds came out
by the roots and he went back to
fall beneath the wheels.
In moment the big iron tires
where grinding over his legs and
he found himself in the road with
both legs broken, helpless and night
coming on. He lay half on his
side in the rut of the road and saw
the mules and the wagons disap-
pering in dust and thunder as they
rounded the next curve.
Unable to move a muscle, he lay
there until his little dog came up
and licked his face and whined.
BY nightfall the pain became so in
tense and the solitude of the noun
tains so intolerable, that he made
a desperate effort to reach his six
shooter IN his hip pocket, and blow
out his brains, but be was lying on
the weapon and could not roll over
and get 1t.
When the stars came out he
heard the barks Of the coyotes 10
the hills, and presently half dozen
trotted up. Then the dog began TO
run round his master in a circle,
barking savagely at the wolves.
Again the man made a desperate
effort for his s1x-shooter, but it was
useless, and so be lay there help
less and racked with pain hour
after hour; while the dog never
ceased a moment to circle round
his master and keep the wolves at
bay.
Occasionally they would make a
rush and Chamber on his body,
when the dog would plunge into
the center of the pack, fighting
yiciously and swapping right and
left until he had scattered them.
Sometimes the coyotes would re
tire a few yard and send up long
howls which would be answered by
others miles away in the hills, and
at times there seemed couple of
dozen in the pack.
The faithful dog never relaxed
his efforts to save his master, but
fought the coyotes until daylight.